Poland Salary Expectations - Native English Speaker CSR

Hi,

Sorry to be somewhat redundant, but the answers I skimmed through in other 'salary expectations' threads didn't quite give me what I was looking for, so I'll risk a new thread..

I absolutely abhor the 'how much would you like to earn' question, and I'll probably be having an interview soon so I would just like to canvas for opinions. The position is as a Customer Service Rep for a telecommunications company, and the position specifically requires a 'native english speaker'. I'm Polish-American (lived in the U.S. most of my life) so I speak both languages fluently, plus intermediate Spanish and French ('other languages will be an asset'). I have a Masters degree. Seeing as they specifically requested a native speaker, would I be justified in asking for a bit more than the 'average' Polish salary for this sort of position? I'm thinking at least between 2500 - 3000 PLN (netto) but I don't want to scare them off... At the same time I can make that much w/private language lessons so I wouldn't really want to settle for less..

Anyway if anyone has any insight please share,
Thanks,

Eva

There's no harm in asking, but if it's for a plain vanilla CSR job, they might not be willing to go so high because there are plenty of other natives around who would work for less. (3000PLN netto is 5000PLN brutto) Where's the job located?

Have you been invited to an interview yet?

Do bear in mind that 3000PLN net with private lessons isn't the same as 3000 net working for a company.

Thanks for replying.

The job's in Wroclaw, and I'm supposed to have a phone interview first, haven't been invited there yet (I just applied yesterday).

Damn, I didn't realize that 3000 net = 5000 brutto. That does make it sound different.. I haven;t worked for a company yet here, just private lessons and language schools. The advantages would be health insurance and all the rest of it, but I have to be able to make ends meet, too, and apartments are friggin' expensive compared to what people earn! :-/

Hmm... 2500zl net would probably be doable, but 3000zl might be too much for them. It really depends - but Wroclaw is starting to have the same problem as Krakow when it comes to being oversaturated with foreign men. The fact that you're female might actually be to your advantage :)

Health insurance is a big one - they do actually check rigorously if you're insured or not.

I'd sit back and see what they offer - the cost to them for 3000 netto is actually 6000zl to the company. But - I think it's not totally unrealistic, too. The real issue might be that they've mentioned "native English speaker", but in reality, they just want someone with a native level of English. There's also the issue that if you weren't actually born in America, they might just take you as being Polish.

Either way, good luck!

this may help

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Poland&city=Wroclaw

Not according to Milky's figures Delph. One bedroom flat at today's exchange rate (dollar= 3.40 PLN) A one bedroom flat will cost 1,666.00. then you have the bills, lets say 2,100.00. that would leave 400 for food, transport, clothes etc. 3,000 would leave 900, still not a lot to live on.

Indeed, but that's why young people in Europe in general tend to share flats rather than living by themselves in major cities. All this nonsense about Poland being unaffordable means

It's an opening level, unskilled job, it's never going to pay amazingly well. I've just found similar job offers in London for the same sort of thing - from 250 to 500 pounds a week. In London!

So what you are really saying is that Milky expects to live in a mansion or buy a property for next to nothing?

Hello,

I just got a job offer in Krakow as a recruiter, they are willing to pay me 3,000zl net, is it the regular salary range

That's very low. As a foreigner, you'll have a hard time making a go of it. Forget about savings. And forget about having your own apartment. You'll have to share. Kraków is a cool city, but not so much if you don't have enough money to enjoy what it has to offer. You'll need at least 4000 net to make a move for a single non-smoking, non-drinking recent grad worthwhile. More if you have salable skills or experience, or expensive habits, or a love life.

Hello people,

I am in the same case, Foreigner coming to Wroclaw in one month for a job in accounting. I will have a 4000zl brutto salary, I will be living with my gf she has 3500zl brutoo salary.

Do you think 7500zl brutoo would be enough to rent together and live... and (maybe) to put some save on it ?

We both don't drink, don't smoke... and we used to live very simply let say.

Thank you for your answers

That's 5000 PLN net. About what you should be making on your own to make the move worthwhile. Rent with all fees and utilities will set you back about 2000 to 2500 PLN a month. Food will cost about 1000 PLN if you eat solely frugal homemade meals cooked at home. Double that or even more if you like to eat out or eat a lot of expensive things like prepared meals, meat (beef will be a rare treat), or foreign foods. You'll also have to take into account 160 PLN a month for public transport (you couldn't afford a car), plus the fees for you airfare, residence permit and health insurance.

If you are a recent grad in search of a year or two of on-the-job experience, it might make sense. Frankly, though, there are certainly other opportunities out there that are much more attractive, including using the time to beef up your salable skills and qualifications in your home country. If you are not a recent grad, then it won't make sense at all.

A word of warning: the "foreign-boy-moves-to-Poland-to-be-with-Polish-girlfriend" story rarely has a happy ending. Plenty of threads about that on this forum. You're more likely to succeed in your relationship outside of Poland, for a whole stack of reasons.

Thank you Dominic for your quick reply,

I am a recent grade with less than one year experience in France (Internship + Customer service job). I am not French though. (I am Algerian National)

Thanks for the information about prices, We cook and prepare food at home most of the time (We lived one year together in France).

About the opportunities, my plan in Poland is more about to discover the country, the culture, language and to have an experience as the recruiting company is more or less a big multinational.

To make it 6 months at most, and then to move to the next destination Canada.

It's true that the main reason is to join my gf there, and I would be curious to know why it would be a bad idea as I didn't come across such a subject in the forum yet ?

Merged: Salaries in Poland specifically Wroclaw or similar size city

Hello,

Does anyone know the typical salary for these jobs in Poland?

1. Bank Teller
2. Call center worker
3. Sales girl in a retail shop
4. Restaurant Manager

Thanks so much!